TICKET SALES HAVE ENDED.
The St. Petersburg Arts Alliance (SPAA) is delighted to present the second annual “Arts Advocate of the Year Award” to Brian Auld, President of the Tampa Bay Rays and Vice Chairman of the Tampa Bay Rowdies, at SPAA’s Garden Party Brunch, Hats Off to Performing Arts. We are also excited to share that leading this event are our Board Members and Garden Party Co-Chairs, Kelly Lee McFrederick-Rice and Steve Beaty.
The spectacular event will be held on May 7th at the Rutland Estate Mansion beginning at 11am. The award will be presented by Melissa Seixas, Florida State President, Duke Energy, and the first Arts Advocate of the Year. Long known for their interest in the arts, our 2023 Arts Advocates have supported The Dali, the SHINE Mural Festival, Tampa Bay International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, Creative Pinellas and the Gasparilla Music Festival and the Gasparilla Film Festival, to name a few.
“Brian Auld and the Rays and Rowdies keep the arts community in their hearts and in their actions. The St. Petersburg Arts Alliance is grateful for their support and their desire to include the arts, as they work towards adding new and equitable economic opportunities for our community.” –Terry Marks, SPAA CEO.
Join us in this celebration and enjoy special live performances, delicious brunch-inspired delights and champagne toasts, a live auction – supporting the arts and recognizing the impact of the arts on the growth of our city! The party begins with live theatrical performances, movement, and music throughout the beautiful gardens overlooking the bay. Support SPAA’s work for the arts in our community, and most importantly, the honoring of Brian Auld & the Tampa Bay Rays and Rowdies!
And let’s make it even more fun by donning a fantastic hat that speaks to your own creative genius. Special prizes will be awarded to the “Most Beautiful,” “Most Creative,” and “Most Humorous” hat.
Enjoy special performances by:
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Gloria Munoz, St.Petersburg’s Poet Laureate will be reciting “Blue Poem
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The Jeremy Carter Group with Ona Kirei
- projectALCHEMY
- Harold Simmons
- Perkins Elementary Steelpan Band
Get ready for some unique LIVE auction offerings too!
INDIVIDUAL TICKET PRICES are just $175 all inclusive! TICKET SALES HAVE ENDED.
The celebration will promote continued support of programs and resources for local artists and arts institutions that ignite creativity, community, and prosperity. Proceeds from this inaugural event will provide support for:
- Arts Education - in school and after school.
- Conducting workshops and education sessions for artists, non-profits and creative businesses
- Increasing impact with our job opportunity board.
- The St. Petersburg Second Saturday ArtWalk.
- Producing ArtBeat - a unique e-newsletter with Opportunities for artists, non-profits and creative businesses.
- SHINE, St. Petersburg's Annual International Mural Festival.
- Building capacity for SPAA to carry out its mission.
Thank you to our generous sponsors!
Center Stage Partners
The Tampa Bay Rays & Rowdies
Duke Energy
The City of St. Petersburg, Florida
The St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce
Steve & Marie Beaty/Crosslin Technologies
Kelly Lee McFrederick-Rice/Premier Sotheby’s International Realty
Encore Partners
CAN Community Health
Pyper, Inc.
Kelli's Catering & Events
The Mandarin Hide
Kahwa Coffee
Party Partners
Paul Carder & Jacqueline MacNeil
St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership
Landscapes by Randy Lee, Inc.
Barbara Lewis
Thomas & Lynn Family
Bayfront Health
Ziba Mohammadi, Realtor, P.E.
Debbie Storey and Jay Mabrey
Smith & Associates Real Estate
Chris Hackney
Dr. Farhan Malik & Michelene Everett
Audrey McConnell
Bellwether Beach Resort
Star Trolley
The Don Cesar
Charlie Parker Pottery
SPONSORSHIPS
An investment in SPAA’s Garden Party is ideal for individuals, businesses, or organizations that are established or emerging supporters of the arts and our community. Brand exposure will be amplified through social media outreach and collaborative marketing, among the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance, St. Petersburg’s five arts districts, the City of St. Petersburg, and the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce. Sponsors will receive advance marketing and publicity.
Click here for full sponsorship levels & benefits or contact Terry Marks for more information at terry@stpeteartsalliance.org
We are committed to keeping our community safe!
Hats Off to Performing Arts will be held outside. We will exercise all appropriate precautions in regards to the Coronavirus
***Mac users - If you have any difficulty in purchasing tickets, try using Google Chrome as your browser or you can email tracy@stpeteartsalliance.org to register you and send you an invoice via email. Please be sure to notate the number of tickets you want. Thank you.
Meet the Arts Advocate of the Year
Brian Auld begins his 19th season with the Rays and his eighth in his current position as President. In his tenure as President, Auld has brought a renewed focus to the Rays mission—to energize the community through the magic of Rays baseball—by redoubling the Rays commitment to its community and to its employees. Under Auld’s leadership, the Rays have developed a thriving workplace culture. In addition to paid parental leave, adoption benefits, paid volunteer time and a wellness initiative, the Rays created a $15 minimum wage for all part-time employees. In 2018, Auld oversaw the Rays purchase of the Tampa Bay Rowdies USL soccer team, based in St. Petersburg.